India: A smallholder’s world – saving crops with organic farming

More than 3,000 indigenous varieties are on display at the Traditional Biodiversity Seeds Festival.

It is difficult being a small holding farmer in the world today, where everything is pitted against them. Perhaps in the world’s biggest agrarian economy for small holders = India is this so starkly real. Every year one hears of small and marginal farmers committing suicide due to unmanageable debt, crop failure, some even dying due to shock. The government does what it can in terms of covering losses and reducing social pain to small farmers, but its reach seem limited. The problem does not seem to lie where most are looking, in conventional economics and agronomics, subsidized fertilizers and pesticides and global trade efficiency.

Small holders who take to organic farming are stably able to save their crops despite vagaries of the weather

It is also interesting to note that no organic farmer has ever committed suicide in India, when there is no large organized organic markets in India as is in the west. It is not to endorse the organic food space, rather to show that small holders who take to organic farming are stably able to save their crops despite vagaries of the weather. Let’s take a look at some images:

Organic vs. non-organic wheat: the organic one proves to be more resilient.

These images are a result of unseasonal high rains and hail in the years March 2014 and 2015. They show that there is merit to practicing organic cultivation methods, which are not just sustainable but also resilient to vagaries of climate change. Similar stories come across India from farmers’ mustard or rice or vegetables fields. Despite such reported success there is very little in terms of agronomic characterization done by scientists to validate and present these observations.

Spot the difference: the organically grown wheat did not lodge despite heavy rains.

The government of India is stepping up by beginning to invest heavily in sustainable agriculture

However this organized assistance comes late by almost four decades. While large swathes of land and agriculture in India are classified as organic by default (due to low nor no use of chemicals altogether), it is small civil society and farmer lead initiatives that are keeping the organic or sustainable agriculture movement alive. One such initiative is lead by the Organic Farming Association of India (OFAI). While OFAI has formally been registered in India only in the last ten years, the founders and members of the organization has been associated with the movement since 1970s, with or despite support from successive governments. For the last decade an organic farmer’s convention is held as the “Biennial Organic Farming Convention”. This time the convention was held in the city of Chandigarh, which is also the capital of the top agrarian state of India, Punjab.

Punjab farmers paid a heavy price because of the use of chemicals: Cancer Train

Quote from an article of Sean Gallagher (http://gallagher-photo.com)

Now Punjab is an interesting case being called the bread basket of India, with less than 2% of the total land area of India, it produces almost 20% of India’s’ wheat and 11% of its rice. It is the poster state for Green Revolution in India in the last six decades or so. At a time when India was reeling under food production stress, in the 1950s the farmers of Punjab proudly stood up and provided for the country. However, they have paid a heavy price, with the lives of many farmers.Punjab has the highest use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides usage in India. It also has the one of the lowest percentages of certified organic farms in India. There is high incidence of nitrites in the ground water and cancers amongst agrarians. This condition of dismay has been manifested with a „Cancer Train“ which carries a high number of patients from Punjab for treatment to the neighboring state of Rajasthan everyday, most of whom are farmers.

Need to be done: knowledge sharing about sustainable alternatives in agriculture and networking amongst farming communities

In this light, to raise awareness of sustainable alternatives in agriculture, knowledge sharing and networking amongst farming communities the 5th National Organic Farming Convention was held in Punjab in March 2015. The event had a high participation of farmers, politicians, civil society and consumers and was a success in terms of outreach and connecting the policy makers of the states of Haryana and Punjab with various organic farmers across India. The event was co-organized with other organizations such as the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture, Kheti Viraasat Mission and National Institute for Teachers Training and Research. Sessions on Agro-Ecology, alternative marketing systems, climate change and pest management techniques were well attended by participants.

5th National Organic Farming Convention

5th National Organic Farming Convention

5th National Organic Farming Convention

More than 3,000 indigenous varieties are on display at the Traditional Biodiversity Seeds Festival.

Celebrating biodiversity!

In the near future, the idea of organic agriculture as it exists in the world today seems to be undergoing a significant change.

It is no longer limited to expensive food, certification and global trade, going forward it is the domain of the small holder farmers in Asia, Africa and Latin America, which is helping reshape these boundaries. It is interesting to consider that the word „organic“ itself is a misnomer, since Organic Chemistry itself is a progenitor of most synthetic inputs and chemicals used in conventional farming. As in most Asian countries, in India also the word used for describing the equivalent of organic is ‘Jaivik’ which literally translates to ‘full of life’. Now, this may be a suitable description of food, which is grown sustainably and without chemicals.

Sustainable agriculture is at its helm in India now and here to stay despite the challenges posed by genetically modified organism and harmful agro-chemicals.It is anticipated that in the coming decade India will lead in the domain of sustainable agriculture and small holder rural economics.

4 Kommentare

A good overview about the significance of organic farming for life of farmer and his livelihood in the changing climatic and market scenario. From this article world community able to know about the efforts being done by government of India and civil society for a safe and secure food system in INDIA.

„India- a small holders’world; Saving Crops with organic farming“ has nicely presented the importance of organic farming. we may call it natural farming keeping in view the nature’s bounty for crop production and keeping intact the soil health.
The best part of the article is that inorganic farming or farming with use of inputs like chemicals has resulted many farmers suicides in the past decades in India and converting the agrarian state of punjab to a river of cancer. On the contrary, farmers in Odisha specially Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput region are practising natural farming with cow-dung as manure with no or say less use of chemical fertilisers here and there are economically poor because awareness on marketing of organic crops is totally absent there. Being from the KBK region of Odisha (India) and a faculty in NABARD Staff college at Lucknow (India); I welcome more such article particularly on standardisation of organic products (crops including rice, wheat, vegetables, tea, coffee, milk, etc..) so that farmers get better prices in one hand and are free from distressed sales, and the consumers get protected by consuming the right prodcuts with a better health.

Really I liked your affort for Organic Farming.
I appricate by you.
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Autor/in

Ashish Gupta

I own an organic shop in north Delhi and work with farmers groups in Himachal Pradesh, bringing the farmer into contact with the end-user, while managing my own farm. I interact with farmers, across India, on sustainable agricultural techniques. I am a member of the national steering group of the Organic Farming Association of India, vice-president of IFOAM Asia, Global Organic Ambassador of IFOAM-Organics International and secretary of the PGS Organic Council. Mehr